---
title: "Marketplace Capabilities"
description: "Learn how Spree supports multi-vendor marketplaces."
---

Spree Commerce Enterprise Edition provides a robust out-of-the-box foundation for building a [<u>multi-vendor marketplace</u>](https://spreecommerce.org/marketplace-ecommerce/), while remaining flexible enough to support advanced customization. 

Here’s an overview of each user perspective:

### Admin Capabilities

![](/docs/images/use-cases/multi-vendor/admin.png)

- **Marketplace Management** - invite vendors, approve or reject vendor signups, suspend accounts, and monitor vendor performance metrics.
- **Shopify Vendor Integration** - automate onboarding and operations for Shopify vendors using a white-labelled Shopify sales channel app
- **WooCommerce Vendor Integration** - automate onboarding and operations for WooCommerce vendors using a direct API integration
- **Manual or CSV Vendor Onboarding** - manually onboard vendors without an online store or using unsupported platforms via direct account setup in the vendor dashboard
- **Marketplace Merchandising** - ensure product consistency and branding integrity across all vendors
- **Promotions & Marketing Automations** - leverage marketing campaign tools for engagement and retention
- **Storefront & Content Management** - drag-and-drop layouts, modular pages, blog CMS, and newsletter tools.
- **Checkout & Payments** - support multi-vendor order splitting, quick checkout methods, tax calculation, and automated payouts via Stripe Connect.
- **Order Management** - order filtering, actions like cancellations or refunds, and tracking fulfillment per vendor.
- **Vendor Payouts** - automated or manual payouts with Stripe Connect, including KYC onboarding and vendor-accessible analytics.
- **Analytics & Reporting** - built-in KPIs, Google Analytics integration, and CSV exports for products and orders.
- **Customer Service** - optional chat and AI bots, ticketing, and store credits for efficient customer support.
- **APIs for headless projects and programmatic operations** - full coverage for storefront, platform, and checkout to enable custom functionality and integrations.

See [Marketplace Admin Panel](https://spreecommerce.org/docs/use-case/marketplace/admin-dashboard) for a more detailed breakdown.

### Vendor Capabilities

![](/docs/images/use-cases/multi-vendor/vendor.png)

- **Vendor Dashboard** - onboard and manage products, orders, analytics, settings, and support from a dedicated dashboard.
- **Vendor Profile & Settings** - configure shipping, localization, and holiday mode to control store operations.
- **Manual or CSV-based Vendor Onboarding & Operations** - vendors can upload products, manage orders and shipments, and handle cancellations or refunds directly from their dashboard.
- **Automated Shopify Onboarding & Operations** - syncs products, orders, shipments, cancellations, and refunds automatically between Shopify and the marketplace.
- **Automated WooCommerce Onboarding & Operations** - syncs products, orders, shipments, cancellations, and refunds automatically between WooCommerce and the marketplace.
- **Vendor Payouts & Reporting** - automated or manual payouts, Stripe KYC onboarding, financial dashboards, and optional accounting integrations.

See [Marketplace Vendor Panel](https://spreecommerce.org/docs/use-case/marketplace/vendor-dashboard) for a more detailed breakdown.

### Customer Experience

![](/docs/images/use-cases/multi-vendor/customer.png)

- **Multi-Vendor Shopping Experience** - multi-vendor cart and checkout, vendor-specific shipping, and a consistent storefront for products from multiple vendors.
- **Mobile-first UX** - responsive storefront design optimized for mobile, tablet, and desktop experiences.
- **Country-specific UX** - language and currency selectors with currency conversion at catalog and checkout level.
- **Marketplace Product Discovery** - shoppers can browse by brand or vendor and explore curated collections and categories.
- **Express Checkout & Payment Options** - including Apple Pay, Google Pay, installment plans, and payment links for quick, flexible checkout.
- **Notifications & Shipment Tracking** - send per-vendor email updates and provides a unified order view in the customer dashboard.

See [Marketplace Customer Experience](https://spreecommerce.org/docs/use-case/marketplace/customer-ux) for a more detailed breakdown.

## Marketplace Scenarios

Spree’s modular architecture supports a variety of advanced marketplace models beyond the standard vendor-customer setup, enabling tailored experiences for specific business needs:

- **B2B Marketplaces** - layer on custom pricing tiers, MOQs, tax exemptions, and quote workflows.
- **Subscription Marketplace Hybrid** - vendors offer recurring purchases, managed through Spree’s subscriptions engine.
- **Multi-region/Localized Marketplaces** - vendors can be grouped by country or region with localized catalogs, taxes, and shipping zones.
- **Headless Marketplace Frontend** - use Spree’s API to deliver a marketplace within a mobile app or a custom storefront built in Next.js, Vue, while leveraging the Spree marketplace backend functionality.

## Marketplaces Running on Spree

- [**<u>Maisonette</u>**](https://www.maisonette.com/) - a curated marketplace for premium children’s clothing, toys, and home goods, featuring independent brands and boutiques.
- [**<u>Goop</u>**](https://goop.com/) - lifestyle brand and wellness marketplace founded by Gwyneth Paltrow, combining content with commerce across beauty, fashion, and supplements.
- [**<u>Artemest</u>**](https://artemest.com/): a luxury marketplace showcasing handcrafted furniture, lighting, and decor by Italian artisans, blending editorial storytelling with ecommerce.

## Flexible, Customizable Architecture

While many marketplace features are available out-of-the-box in Spree Enterprise, the open-source foundation means you can extend and tailor the platform to your exact business model - whether that means custom commission logic, ERP integrations, or unique checkout flows.

Spree Enterprise offers flexibility across all layers of the platform, from code-level customization to no-code configuration.

- **Customization (Custom Code)**
  - **Backend (Ruby on Rails)** - extend business logic, workflows, and integrations via Spree's modular architecture. See: [<u>Spree Developer Quickstart</u>](https://spreecommerce.org/docs/developer/getting-started/quickstart)
  - **Frontend Themes (HTML, CSS, JS)** - customize storefront layouts, styling, and interactivity to match your brand and UX goals. See: [<u>Storefront Customization</u>](https://spreecommerce.org/docs/developer/storefront/storefront)
- **Configuration (No-Code / Low-Code)**
  - **Store Settings** - configure store name, logo, contact details, and supported languages/currencies.
  - **Custom Domains & Code Snippets** - set up domains and inject scripts (e.g., Google Tag Manager, Hotjar) without code.
  - **Shipping & Tax** - define shipping zones, rates, and tax rules per market.
- **Theme Editor (No-Code / Low-Code)**
  - **Drag-and-Drop Editor** - create and rearrange content using pre-built modules.
  - **Modular Pages** - build landing pages, homepages, and campaign sections.
  - **Brand Asset Management** - upload logos, banners, and product imagery without developer input.

## Full Ownership And Control

With Spree Enterprise, you’re not locked into a black-box SaaS model. You retain complete control over your infrastructure, data, and roadmap, enabling long-term flexibility, scalability, and compliance.

- **API-Driven Extensibility**
  - **Full API Coverage** - extend the platform via REST or GraphQL APIs for storefronts, checkout, vendor dashboards, or 3rd-party integrations. See: [<u>API Reference</u>](https://spreecommerce.org/docs/api-reference/introduction)
  - **Custom Integrations** - seamlessly connect with ERPs, CRMs, payment providers, POS systems, or headless frontends.
- **Deployment Flexibility**
  - **Self-Hosting Options** - deploy Spree anywhere; your cloud provider, on-premise, or in specific geographic regions. See: [<u>Deployment Guide</u>](https://spreecommerce.org/docs/developer/deployment/render)
  - **Provider Agnostic** - run on AWS, GCP, Azure, or Render. Tailor infrastructure to budget, compliance, and performance needs.
- **Scalability & Performance**
  - **Built for Scale** - Spree supports advanced architectures using load balancers, Redis caching, CDN layers (e.g., Cloudflare or Fastly).
  - **High Availability** - avoid downtime during peak sales periods or global rollouts with scalable infrastructure.
- **Security Under Your Control**
  - **Data Encryption** - Protect sensitive data in transit and at rest using standard encryption protocols.
  - **Anti-DDoS & Rate Limiting** - configure your own network protections using preferred security services.
  - **Vulnerability Management** - patch quickly, audit dependencies, and apply security policies with no vendor bottlenecks.
- **Compliance Ownership**
  - **Full Compliance Control** - build to meet your exact regulatory requirements, whether WCAG, GDPR, HIPAA, or SOC2.
  - **Data Sovereignty** - keep data within borders required by your industry or region.

## Further Reading

- [Multi-Vendor Marketplace Model](https://spreecommerce.org/docs/use-case/marketplace/model)
- [<u>Developer Docs</u>](https://spreecommerce.org/docs/developer/getting-started/quickstart)
- [<u>User Docs</u>](https://spreecommerce.org/docs/user/what-is-spree-commerce)
- [<u>Ecommerce API docs</u>](https://spreecommerce.org/docs/api-reference/introduction)
- [<u>Integrations</u>](https://spreecommerce.org/docs/integrations/integrations)

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